Larry Page fondly recalls his close "relationship" with Steve Jobs, Apple's late co-founder

In a new exclusive interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Google Inc.'s (GOOG) new CEO, Larry Page talks about what it's like to run Google. Mr. Page was excited to be interviewed by the publication owned by New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg who he cites as his mentor and driving inspiration for his flexible scheduling. In the piece he sounds off on a variety of topics, including his company's "war" with frenemy Apple, Inc. (AAPL).

I. Larry Page Sounds Off on Jobs Rage, His Relationship With the Apple Chief

Google reportedly makes more money off advertising for Apple's lucrative iPhone than it does off of Android (though some have criticized this claim as blatant confusion regarding a certain Google court document). Still Google considers Android a strong success, given its strong market share. That market share has coupled with Google's role as a top iPhone ad vendor breeds an awkward "frenemy' relationship for the two companies who are competing in the store, and in the courtroom.

But talking about the pending Motorola acquisition and its intellectual property importance he takes a sideways jab at the fruity foe, saying that Google owns a number of patents, but, "We have never really asserted those against anybody. Obviously, we held a lot of search patents, for example. We have somehow been successful without suing other people over intellectual property."

He states, "I think that served their interests. For a lot of companies, it’s useful for them to feel like they have an obvious competitor and to rally around that. I personally believe that it’s better to shoot higher. You don’t want to be looking at your competitors. You want to be looking at what’s possible and how to make the world better."

As for Mr. Jobs, he recalls his final visits with the stricken icon. He comments:

I think the Android differences were actually for show. I had a relationship with Steve. I wouldn’t say I spent a lot of time with him over the years, but I saw him periodically. Curiously enough, actually, he requested that meeting. He sent me an e-mail and said: “Hey, you want to get together and chat?” I said, “Sure, I’ll come over.” And we had a very nice talk. We always did when we had a discussion generally.

He was quite sick. I took it as an honor that he wanted to spend some time with me. I figured he wanted to spend time with his family at that point. He had a lot of interesting insights about how to run a company and that was pretty much what we discussed.

II. Taking Risks, Expanding in New Directions

Apple aside, Mr. Page continually expressed optimism that Google remains strong and is taking the bold risks necessary to be a leader.

Google is surprised at the rapid success of its Google+ social network. [Image Source: Google]

The exec says that companies not cooperating in the market today is less sinister conspiracy and more a matter of technical hurdles. He points to difficulties in allowing Google Talk and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) to "talk" to one another, as a perfect example, saying, "I’m not sure it was ultimately worth the effort. "

He waxes poetic about the difficulties in successfully searching for folks with common first and last names.

Larry Page wants to patch things up with Apple. The fruit company is moving a shit-ton of products and has embarked on a mission to de-emphasize Google technology to Apple users. I'm surprised more people haven't caught on to this. By the end of next year Google's stock could peak.....forever.

Don't underestimate the power that Apple wields...even the mighty Intel is now finding itself in direct competition with Apple. Companies like Samsung, embroiled in lawsuits, still provide high-end components because Apple is the only one buying them. PC fanboys like to joke, but at the end of the day don't kid yourself...Apple is a monster, that no other Tech company can stop right now.

"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance." -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer